Death at Rainy Mountain
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“Another great storyteller is emerging.”—Tony Hillerman
Award-winning author Mardi Oakley Medawar
On a scalding summer day in 1866, the Kiowa Nation gathered at Rainy Mountain to witness the magnificent Cheyenne Robber standing before them—charged with murdering a fellow tribesman. It was a day Tay-bodal would never forget. A day that threatened to tear the unity of the entire Kiowa Nation...
Known as a wanderer and eccentric healer, Tay-bodal was always on the outside of the clan. Now, for the first time in his life, Tay-bodal's unconventional ways will prove invaluable to the survival of the Kiowa Nation. He has just five days to find the truth behind the murder. But Tay-bodal will discover more than truth. He will embark on a journey so spiritual, so important, that he will finally know what it is to be a Kiowa Indian...
"Medawar, a Cherokee, reveals legendary Native Americans as believable people and offers her readers a comprehensive look at historical Kiowa life and values."—Publishers Weekly
"Her characters, white or Indian, are people...This is our history."—Don Coldsmith, award-winning author of Runestone
"More than a mystery, Medawar's novel is a beautifully written, life-affirming, heartwarming story full of adventure, humor, and tears...a cunningly plotted story that is as devilishly funny as it is charmingly told."—ALA Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Modern-thinking Kiowa healer Tay-bodal, whose study of anatomy and physiology sets him apart from other tribal doctors in the north of Texas in 1866, is caught up in tribal politics after one of its warriors is murdered. War threatens when handsome Cheyenne Robber, beloved of White Otter, is accused of killing one of her suitors from another clan. Although he had challenged his rival in front of others, Cheyenne Robber swears he didn't kill the man. Chief White Bear, whom the whites call Santana, asks Tay-bodal to help find the true murderer. Breaking tribal tradition, Tay-bodal examines the body of the dead man and discovers that he was strangled and his neck subsequently broken. Recognizing this as a particularly cowardly way to kill, Tay-bodal wonders why any Kiowa would have used it. The healer must break more tribal customs, become a target himself and end up at Fort Sill before he successfully solves the case. Although the pace is slow and her prose often stiff, Medawar, a Cherokee, reveals legendary Native Americans as believable people and offers her readers a comprehensive look at historical Kiowa life and values.
